


Jumpstart

by swtalmnd



Series: Smooth Gear Action [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, Communicating Like Actual Fucking Adults, I do what I want, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Stuckony, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26559103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swtalmnd/pseuds/swtalmnd
Summary: Steve hadn't known what to expect when he tracked Bucky down, but it definitely wasn't to find him in a relationship with Tony Stark. Now he has to cope with everything that brings up, but at least they feed him.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Series: Smooth Gear Action [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1456993
Comments: 36
Kudos: 173
Collections: StarkBucksBingo2020





	Jumpstart

**Author's Note:**

> Important background things implied but not stated in this series:  
> 1\. Tony is not Iron Man. There is no Iron Man. He was a tech consultant for SHIELD before they were destroyed.  
> 2\. Bucky didn't kill Tony's parents.  
> 3\. Steve implies he could've just offed Bucky if he'd only had the moral fortitude and let me just say, bitch he thinks.
> 
> Thank you to Dr QT for her usual patient cheerreading, and to newtypeshadow for the gentle beta. All mistakes are my own, because despite the cotton-candy-scented unicorn hand sanitizer, I am an adult.
> 
> This fills my StarkBucks Bingo square O-4: "I'll do it!"

Steve couldn't tear his eyes away from Tony until he vanished through the office door like a ghost. Tony Stark, alive and well and fucking Steve's best friend.

It was a lot to take in.

"Only you could go looking to get your arm fixed and end up finding the supposedly-late Tony Stark," said Steve, shaking his head. Maybe that would get his thoughts to line up. He let Bucky lead him through the empty auto shop and into a cargo elevator.

Bucky snorted. "That's me. Shortcut down an alley, end up with a best friend. Join the army, end up with super soldier serum."

Steve put a hand on his arm before he could make a more horrifying connection. "Try to kill Captain America, end up with that same idiot for a friend," he said, instead.

Bucky let out a wry chuckle. "Yeah, that. And we're getting better. It just takes a while to get some things through your thick head, is all."

"Stubborn," said Steve. "That's me."

"A stubborn punk," said Bucky, giving him a nudge just as the elevator opened up into a cozy modern kitchen. There was a breakfast bar that faced onto a warm, comfortable living room with a view of the ocean, the giant window broken into a mosaic by panels of what he assumed was safety glass. Tony wouldn't do any less, after all.

"Jerk," said Steve, automatic as breathing. "You must love this, a whole kitchen to do what you want."

"Tony got me baking stuff when I asked, and we're gonna plant some herbs outside by the front door. JARVIS made us a pot." Bucky sounded, not so much defensive, but more like he couldn't really believe it, either. "Between us, we make sure I only have to have one shake a day, and Tony has to have one, too, for his chest mod."

"Have you... Of course you've seen it." Steve shook his head. "I never knew what it was, just that it glowed through his shirts sometimes."

"I don't really know what it does, either, but it's real pretty," said Bucky, shrugging. "We don't ask stuff like that. Or if we do, we both know it's okay to not answer."

Steve felt his face do something, but fuck if he knew what, half a smile and half a wistful frown and something else on top of that. He'd always been so full of feelings, and these days he didn't have any way to get them out. "That's real good of both of ya. I'm not sure I'd be that patient."

"You ain't, but you try," said Bucky, hip-checking him. "Go sit by the breakfast bar, I'll give you something to chop in a few. I know what you like."

"For breakfast, anyway," said Steve with a little wry smirk, humor bubbling up while he sat his ass down. "You never knew I was into more than women."

"We're both dumb that way. Congratu-fucking-lations to us." Bucky let out another little snort of laughter. "Tony's a good guy. I can see you two together, y'know? But I ain't gonna give him up, not even for you."

"I don't want you to," said Steve, half-standing before he sank back down on the stool. "I don't. It was just a dumb, desperate... You know me, Buck. Leap, then look."

"We both know you're a fucking idiot, yes," said Bucky. "You're gonna have to grovel some more before that gets a bye, though. And apologize to Tony again, maybe."

Steve sighed and sagged. "I'm sorry. I'll do better, I swear. I wanna be able to visit without being on lockdown someday."

"Even I ain't got a ton of access," said Bucky, shrugging. "Most of the areas below us are JARVIS's domain. He's got a little army of bots that do stuff. Fabrication. Growing algae for Tony's smoothie. He said something about building a fishery."

"Oh, wow, that would be so cool," said Steve, turning to stare out the window. "I wonder if you could, like, herd sheep or goats or something, too."

"Your city boy ass certainly could not," said Bucky. "We'll always need Sam, I think, but Tony's a good bro to him. They get along better than you'd think."

"Nah, I can see it. Sam needs more friends, even if he does have to drive out to nowhere's bleaker cousin to get it." Steve sighed; he hadn't been the best friend to Sam lately, either. He really needed to do something to get his brain to stop running in circles, wishing for times that would never be back, or that never really were. He could pine all he wanted for Peggy but the reality was that they'd only shared one kiss.

He had Bucky. He had Sam. And now he had Tony. Friends, real ones, as long as they'd forgive him for all the things he hadn't done. "D'you think there's a fella or girl out there that'd ever put up with me, Buck?"

"Yeah, of course I do," said Bucky. He put cold, roasted potatoes next to Steve and pointed to a knife block. "Cut those, I'm gonna make us a whole mess of home fries. Tony's got an actual fucking spice rack, and I can dump some salsa in the pan to start an' soften the onions up a little." A cutting board and empty bowl followed, pointedly in front of him.

"Sam's been bragging a little about your lasagna." Steve chose a knife and started cutting, filling up the bowl while Bucky made comforting cooking sounds behind him. "I think he's been seeing someone, too, but I dunno. Maybe he's just been texting with you guys a lot."

"Maybe it's JARVIS," said Bucky, his voice full of humor. "You been romancing our buddy, J?"

"I assure you, I am not the man for him," said JARVIS. He sounded amused rather than snippy, so that was a good development as far as Steve was concerned.

"Well, whoever it is, I hope they take good care of him." Steve knew he sounded like a sad sack, but he figured he was a little bit allowed, all things considered.

Bucky made a considering noise. "Sam's more sensible than any of us, he'll do all right."

They fell into a comfortable silence, aside from the cooking. Once the potatoes were sizzling, Bucky started him on chopping more ingredients, chattering on about his time with Tony in a stream of information that was at once reassuring and depressing. It sounded like he had a better life here than Steve could have hoped to offer him.

Steve didn't know how to feel about that.

He was saved when Bucky turned his face up to the ceiling and said, "Give Tony the 5-minute warning, please?"

"What else can I do?" asked Steve, looking around and finding that he'd cleaned up while Bucky was cooking, half reflex and half gentle orders from Bucky getting his hands and body moving while his brain ran itself into the ground.

"Set the table," said Bucky. "And start more coffee. Tony likes coffee more than he likes either of us."

Steve snorted. "Me, sure, but not you."

"Oh, he's told me so," said Bucky, lips quirking with the joke of it. Three weeks, and they already had in-jokes. "Anyway, coffee. Way to his heart."

"But not his pants," said Steve, trying not to sound bitter.

Bucky, fortunately, didn't call him on it. "No, I'm pretty sure all _that_ took was asking."

"Oh," said Steve, momentarily stymied that it could have been that simple. He shoved his body back into gear and got down the coffee beans, ran the grinder until JARVIS beeped at him to stop, and then prepared the pot according to the AI's instructions, with color commentary from Bucky. He got down plates and found the silverware, set out sugar and cream and ketchup, and then found himself putting ice waters out at each place, too, despite not having been told to.

"You okay in there?" asked Bucky, concerned instead of teasing this time.

Steve shrugged. "Just feeling like an idiot," he said, trying to pass it off and doing a pretty bad job. "About both of you."

"You'll be fine," said Tony, coming down the stairs and into the room. "Just because Bucky and I are easy doesn't mean you have to be. You'll find someone."

"I don't know," said Steve, hating the thread of real sorrow in his voice that he couldn't seem to squash. "I mean, Bucky, Peggy, you... How many exceptional human beings is one fella gonna get a chance with?"

"A fella like you? As many as it takes," assured Bucky. "Right, babe?"

"Steve, you're like a magnet for exceptional people, what with all your do-gooder justice shit and that annoying glow of health and vitality," said Tony. "Not to mention the pecs. Wear more tight shirts, advertise the goods. Maybe tighten up the pants, too. Are you a shower or a grower?"

"Both," said Bucky with a smirk. At Steve's betrayed expression, he added, "What? I wasn't gonna not look."

"Well, there you go, tight shirt, tight jeans, nice basket-enhancing undies, you'll get all the action a man could hope for," said Tony with a dark little smirk. "If I didn't already have my Buckaroo, I'd definitely want a ticket for that ride."

"Tony," said Bucky chidingly.

"I don't know why I ever missed you," said Steve, shaking his head and blushing, unable to entirely keep the grin off his face. "Were you always like this?"

"I was, and you loved it. You wanted to daa~aate me," said Tony. He moved in and stole a kiss from Bucky, then ducked around Steve to pour coffee. "Bless you, babycakes, I'm gonna blow you so well for this. Coffee is life."

"Steve made it," said Bucky innocently. "You gonna blow him?"

"Bucky!" said Steve, cheeks hotter than ever.

Tony smirked and took a sip. "Nah. He'd have an aneurysm and then I'd be that guy who killed Captain America, and I'm already in hiding from one group of haters."

Bucky sighed hugely, eyes sparkling. "Nazis, man. They ruin everything."

"Truer words were never spoken, Bronco," said Tony, going to plop down in front of one of the set places. "So, what's for, uh, what meal is this?"

"According to human or hobbit schedules, sir?" asked JARVIS. Steve could hear the sarcasm and he'd forgotten what a wonder it was, to hear a computer sass its creator.

"Eh," said Tony with a shrug. "It's food. Feed me, Seymour."

"It's eggs and home fries," said Bucky. "So, probably brunch." He brought the skillets over one by one and divided up the food, putting them back on the cooling stove once he'd filled their plates, Tony's a healthy portion and the other two nearly overflowing with food. "Lemme know if you want toast."

"Nah, this is good," said Tony, digging in happily. He looked so carefree, his guard already coming down around Steve like he'd never been mad. It didn't feel like his press face, so maybe Steve was going to be able to earn back whatever he'd lost, after all. Not the potential, he'd never try to break them up, but the friendship.

Steve took a big bite of his veggie-laden scrambled eggs and made a shocked noise. Bucky had always done well with what they'd had, but this was a whole order of magnitude better. "Holy shit, Buck. Can I just live under the stairs and eat your cooking?"

Tony nearly choked on his food, and gulped water to recover. "What are you, Harry Potter?"

"I am a lonely orphan," said Steve, making big blue puppy eyes.

Tony shook his head. "I forgot what a fucking troll you are. I rescind any coffee-related offers of sexual favors that may have been previously implied."

Bucky shook his head. "So what'd you solve to put you in such a good mood, anyway?"

"Oh! That stupid capacitor problem in the new tablet line, fucking finally. It was, well. Stupid, and obvious, and once I figured it out, the 'I guess I'm an idiot' feeling just kind of washed away being mad at Steve for now." Tony talked between bites, talked with his mouth full, talked like they were still close enough not to need his company manners.

It was a little disgusting, but it felt pretty good. "You still work for SI?"

"Yep," said Tony.

"Pepper has a fake R&D sub-department that's basically just Tony, and then she routes all his ideas through the rest of them before anything's finalized. Like money laundering but with Tony's brainchildren." Bucky had gotten a little lecture about that one of the days he'd ended up answering a call from Pepper when Tony had accidentally-on-purpose muted JARVIS and left his phone downstairs.

Steve's smile went a little wistful. "I'm glad. I was really, I dunno, part of saying goodbye to you was knowing the world wouldn't get the benefit of your brain anymore, y'know?"

"Yeah, well. Nazis ruin everything," said Tony with a shrug. "I can't say I'd trade Bucky for my old life, but that life was gonna have to change regardless. So, bonus Bucky."

"Gee, thanks," said Bucky, rolling his eyes and grinning. It was a little more tooth than strictly warranted, Steve thought, but then again, it wasn't exactly a cheerful topic for any of them.

Steve hadn't survived WWII without learning to appreciate black humor, even if people thought he was some kind of sunshine innocent.

"Well, you're gonna have to put up with me now, because we come buy one, get one free," said Steve, shoving a huge bite of potatoes into his mouth.

"Bucky cooks and cleans, though. What can you do besides eat my food and look pretty?" said Tony.

"He's very pretty," said Bucky. "Steve, take your shirt off for him."

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself for blushing. "I can also punch nazis for you."

"That's true," agreed Tony, surprisingly affable. "And, as we've established, nazis ruin everything, so that's actually somewhat useful. Your application for stairs gremlin will be considered by the management."

"Would that make me the management, sir?" asked JARVIS.

"Clearly," said Bucky, shooting Tony a wink that didn't make Steve jealous. At all. "Tony and I aren't objective."

"Mr. Wilson would like you to know he'll be here in approximately ten minutes, and expects there to be food waiting." JARVIS sounded very amused.

"Good thing there's extra," said Bucky, waving at the food waiting on the stove. "Do we need to start another pot of coffee?"

"Yes," said Tony, so fast it was basically a reflex. "I'll take the rest if there's any left of that pot." He downed his cup like a sailor chugging a beer and held it out once it was empty. "Uh, please?"

"I'll do it!" said Steve, taking the cup and standing. "Gotta get on your good side, even if JARVIS has final say."

He tried very hard not to think about blowjobs while he made up another pot, remembering the instructions well enough that JARVIS didn't even have to prompt him. The conversation fell silent while he was grinding the beans, Tony and Bucky eating instead of teasing him any further. Steve wondered if he really could live out here, away from the city and everything he'd ever loved. Except Bucky, of course, who was the one thing, person, he'd always loved more than the rest combined.

"Maybe goats," he said, sitting down while the coffee brewed.

Bucky laughed. "I don't think Tony wants baby goats in his auto shop."

"Steve could build them pens and a house, though," said Tony thoughtfully. "Goat milk is a little weird, but I suppose JARVIS could build us a cheese cave for chevre."

"Finding me more hobbies, sir?" said JARVIS, sounding wry but not annoyed. "Shall I compile some information about animal husbandry for you?"

"Put it on a tablet for Steve," said Tony, smirking like a troll. "He can buy his way into the household with some sheep or goats or something."

"Chickens are the easiest," Bucky put in. "People had 'em in their yards an' stuff, back in the day. Fresh eggs and all that, meat. Gotta watch out for predators, though."

Steve felt something warm swelling up in his heart and he knew it showed on his face when he said, "Well, you could always get a couple of dogs."

"Oh, no," said Bucky, sotto voce. "He's always wanted a dog."

The elevator door opened, and Sam strolled out, DUM-E following with the dolly of groceries. "Who's always wanted a dog? Steve?"

"He's basically a golden retriever," said Tony, "so that makes sense. Is the coffee ready?"

"Yeah," said Steve, standing up to freshen all their cups and get one down for Sam, too.

Sam was already busy shoving things in the fridge and freezer with practiced ease. "So why are we talkin' about dogs? And am I meant to take this," he motioned to the meal they were sharing, "as progress, or did JARVIS threaten to hide your playlists?"

"Mr. Barnes requested they speak to one another and I believe something of an accord was managed," said JARVIS, amused but proud. "Mr. Stark has been processing his feelings the usual way while Mr. Barnes and Captain Rogers cooked."

"So, machines and caffeine?" said Sam, shutting the fridge.

"You know it," said Tony, totally unrepentant. "Food's on the stove, shouldn't be too cold."

"Yep, sending Barnes here was a good idea," said Sam, grabbing an extra plate to serve himself a pile of brunch. "You feed me so much better now."

"And my arm's all fixed," said Bucky, wiggling his fingers at Steve. "No more glitching, and no more weird feedback."

Steve sighed. "I get it, I really do. I just, you know."

"You're all full of feelings and you suck at that," said Sam, sitting down with his coffee and food. "I'm honestly surprised I didn't find you sulking in your car or destroying large rocks out in the wilderness."

"Bucky's very persuasive," said Tony. "It's the puppy eyes."

"I thought it was the blowjobs," said Bucky with an evil smirk.

Tony shrugged. "It's been too many hours. You'll have to refresh my memory later."

Steve couldn't help it, he rolled his eyes.

Sam laughed at him. Well, snickered, but it definitely counted.

"So, why am I staying the weekend if I'm useless?" asked Steve, trying to change the subject before things escalated in any of the terrible potential directions.

"Friends are allowed to be useless," said Bucky, before Tony could come up with yet another innuendo or whatever. "This is a friendly visit. You don't have to earn your cupboard under the stairs until your three-day guest pass is up."

Tony nodded. "Fair," he said, then went back to eating Bucky's cooking.

Steve thought this was an excellent idea, and agreed, "Yeah, okay," before going back to his own plate of food.

It was a start. Of what, Steve had no idea, but it was more than he'd expected to get.

**Author's Note:**

> Next time, we have more chill and probably Bucky stress baking. He had to babysit Steve this time around.
> 
> When? Look, 2020 has gotten SO MUCH WORSE since last time, I do not want to even begin to predict. 
> 
> Be kind. Make art. Vote.


End file.
